F1 News: Damson Idris Rejects Huge F1 Movie Rumor

Saajan Jogia | Jul 12, 2024

F1 Movie Brad Pitt Teaser Poster / F1 Press Image

Damson Idris, portraying a young racing talent alongside Brad Pitt in the movie 'F1', addressed rumors of a $300 million budget, dismissing them as 'just noise'. He joked that he received $200 million, humorously downplaying the extravagant budget speculations surrounding the film.

'F1', produced by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and directed by Joseph Kosinski, boasts a star-studded cast including Pitt, who portrays a seasoned F1 driver making a powerful comeback to mentor a promising young talent played by Idris. The film is scheduled for a highly anticipated global premiere on June 25, 2025, with its North American release to follow on June 27.

Production of F1 commenced in 2023 with the fictional APXGP Formula 1 team appearing at various Grands Prix, equipped with its own hospitality, pit garage, and cars. However, amid a Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strike, the production faced delays, and reports indicated the budget ballooned to a substantial $300 million, typically seen in top-tier Hollywood blockbusters.

However, in an exclusive interview with Sports Illustrated at an IWC Schaffhausen celebration in London, Idris cleared the air by clarifying that the inflated budget is not a true figure. He said:

"200 million went to me [laughs].

"Honestly I don't think that rumor is true. One thing I will tell you is this film is going to look expensive and you know when it comes out, take your families take your loved ones and just enjoy the movie.

"Everything else, budgets and all that, that's just noise."

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has also dismissed the inflated budget rumors, claiming the budget comes well below the $300 million mark. He told the Deadline:

“It’s completely, unfortunately, tens of millions of dollars out of whack in the wrong direction, and in the right direction for us.

“What people don’t realize is, first of all, we’re shooting in rebate [locations], England has a big rebate, lots of Europe has rebates and so does Abu Dhabi. It all lowers the budget.

“Plus, we’ve raised more money for our car [through sponsorship] than some Formula 1 teams. You take that all into consideration and it really drops that number quite a bit lower than what people would think.”

The teaser trailer for F1 debuted globally last weekend, ahead of the British Grand Prix. Distributed worldwide by Warner Bros., F1 is an Apple Original Film featuring a stellar cast including Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem, Tobias Menzies, Sarah Niles, Kim Bodnia, and Samson Kayo.